ANNIE AND JADE
Unconventional Eco and Made in LA
Designer Annie Le pays homage to her Vietnamese heritage in her clothing line, Annie + Jade, which combines her English name, Annie, with Jade, the English translation of her Vietnamese name. The collection uses eco-friendly fabrics and an ethical manufacturing process to introduce an unconventional spin to eco womenswear.
“Why is eco-friendly fashion always centered around casual womenswear? I wanted to offer more categories than just yoga and street,” Le said.
Le uses fabrics that are natural, organic, recycled or blended, including wool, silk and Lenzing’s Tencel, Modal and Viscose.
“Lenzing Viscose is a cellulose fiber, and Lenzing’s substainable procedures to produce the fabric reduces the chemical and water waste to the environment,” she said. “We use their products because their foremost goal is to bring comfortable, wearable fabrics that are socially and ecologically responsible.”
In the past, she has also used vegan leather in the Annie + Jade collection and would consider using it in the future for handbags and footwear. Although vegan leather is a synthetic material, Le said she prefers it as a “viable alternative to the use of animal skins.”
“I don’t believe that being eco-friendly is a one-way road,” Le said. “There are multiple ways to be eco-friendly. We take a multi-layered approach blending our fabric use—natural, eco-friendly and recycled— [and] our local production and giving back via our charitable contributions to offset the elements that cannot be made in an eco-friendly way.”
Le also believes using a local production system helps the economy and contributes to the carbon fund without the use of overseas freight and shipping. “Eighty percent of the line is eco friendly, but we are always working to make it 100 [percent]. I also want to bring jobs back [to America]. As the line grows, the more people I can hire,” she said.
Le’s clothes possess a very modern quality. She believes in clean lines and beautiful silhouettes, adding stretch fibers for comfort and little to no trimming. The centerpiece of her line is the faux wrap dress made out of a viscose knit that is versatile to a woman’s shape. “This dress will probably stay in the line for a while because of the way it’s cut and made to fit the body’s curves,” she said.
Everything in the line is transitional, with timeless pieces that can be worn from season to season. The full collection includes casual tops, shorts, pants, rompers, separates, outerwear, wrapped dresses and eveningwear. There is a mixture of contemporary structured pieces, jersey basics and draped garments, while some are more conservative and others have a breezy quality. The Fall 2014 collection includes about 30 pieces, including an elegant sheer-sleeve fitted maxi dress and a jumpsuit.
“I like to create a very classic look with black [dominating] as a color for every season,” Le said. In addition to using black as a staple accent in her collections, Le introduces pops of purple, champagne, sky blue, army green and natural desert hues.
Le came from an advertising background, but growing up she always knew she wanted to be a fashion designer. “As a child, I wanted to be a designer, but during college I steered into another direction. I received my master’s in advertising and did that for five years, but it was more worth it to do something I loved,” she said.
Le left advertising and enrolled at the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in Los Angeles. “During my years at FIDM, I was part of an accelerated program, and that is where I started developing Annie + Jade,” Le said.
Le began working on the collection in Fall 2009, and, by 2011, she officially debuted the line at Project Ethos during Los Angeles Fashion Week. She eventually wants to expand from luxury womenswear into accessories, including eco handbags and shoes. She is also considering a plus-size collection.
Annie + Jade is currently sold online at www.annieandjade.com. Wholesale price points range from $45 to $90 for tops, $99 to $150 for dresses, up to $200 for gowns, and $120 to $225 for outerwear and coats.
For sales information, email aj@annieandjade.com.
